DisneyQuest demolition underway

T he skyline of Disney Springs is changing again. Demolition of the DisneyQuest building has begun, making room for a new attraction called the NBA Experience.

The structure has been being prepped for removal since DisneyQuest closed in early July. This week, heavy machinery started tearing down the building. By the end of the day on Thursday, cranes smashed through the Lake Buena Vista Drive side of the five-story building and tore off the swirling Mickey-inspired décor.

DisneyQuest, which opened on the west end of Downtown Disney in 1998, featured themed interactive games and activities such as the Virtual Jungle Cruise and the Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam. Although some fans complained that updates were too infrequent, DisneyQuest was a sentimental favorite among Disneyphiles of a certain age. “There goes my childhood,” wrote one Twitter user in reaction to a photo of the demolition.

Plans for the contents included shipping to charitable organizations, other Disney World properties and the archives of Walt Disney Imagineering. Company workers were allowed to bid online for more than 100 of the games.

On Thursday, Disney released images of the exterior of NBA Experience, which is “Inspired by the modern architecture of new NBA arenas around the country,” according to a post on the official Disney Parks Blog. Once complete, it will feature interactive games, “immersive experiences” and a restaurant.

The renderings show a giant screen – showing an Orlando Magic game — over the entrance, a curved roofline with images of players incorporated. NBA Experience, near the Cirque du Soleil theater, is scheduled to open in the summer of 2019.